The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union (GSC), also known as Council Secretariat, assists the Council of the European Union, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Council and the President of the European Council. The General Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union. The Secretariat is divided into seven directorates-general, each administered by a director-general. The Secretariat is based in Brussels, in the Europa building. The respective secretariats of the Schengen Agreement and of now-defunct Western European Union and European Political Cooperation have along the years been integrated with the Council Secretariat. The current Secretary-General is Thérèse Blanchet, who was appointed on 1 November 2022. She succeeded Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen.

Tasks

Organisation

The organisation of the General Secretariat is decided by a simple majority of votes by the Council. The Secretary-General is also appointed by the Council. It currently consists of 7 directorates-general, the Legal Service, 5 departments under the Secretary-General (e.g. internal audit, general political questions) and has around 3200 employees.

Directorates-general

The following services are headed by a Deputy Director-General: